This has to be talked about. Hoke left a roster that was in relatively good shape considering all the highly rated players who had to stick through some awful program degradation. He signed good classes, and those classes have by and large stuck around and fulfilled their academic duties. But an inordinate amount of them inexplicably didn't redshirt, and because of this there are some holes on the horizon.

I'm sure there are explanations in many of these cases that we are not party to. It's only the sheer volume of head-scratching non-redshirts under Hoke that gives us reason to call all of them into question. Like how I'm sure there are legit medical hardship waivers that occur at Alabama but [graph].

Some guys the coaches were forced to play early, and there's no need to discuss them beyond a mention as such, e.g. Jabrill Peppers. Mason Cole outcompeted a pile of guys to start at left tackle last season. That sort of thing gets a full pass. Beyond that, I've broken each Hoke class into categories of increasing argh:

WTF. Wasting redshirts on special teams and dime back when last year's dime back is on the bench.

Pick ONE. Needed bodies at this position, but not all the bodies. Battles for 2nd on the depth chart should be resolved in time for the ultimate loser to have a 5th year as consolation.

Need the dudes (and other things I don't blame on the coaches). Immediate starters or guys who played because Michigan sorely needed his body and his pulse at that position.

Names that should have redshirted are in red.

Class of 2011

Did you really need both, 2011? [Upchurch]

Hoke arrived to an offensive machine with two years of eligibility remaining, and a nightmare defense of guys who couldn't displace recent departures like Jonas Mouton, Ray Vinopal, Adam Patterson, Greg Banks, and James Rogers. The immediate need was obvious and Hoke rightfully set about recruiting freshmen who could fill those roles. So I'll give him a pass for some of it.

Hollowell's 2011 contribution was more than scooping up a fumbled kickoff against VT, but it was also more than Ray Taylor's. [Melanie Maxwell|AnnArbor.com]

Wtf: None.

Pick ONE

Raymon Taylorand Delonte Hollowell. The year following the Never Forget defensive backfield, Hoke recruited five likely cornerbacks: Blake Countess, Raymon Taylor, Delonte Hollowell, Tamani Carter (redshirted, transferred before 2012), and Greg Brown (early enrollee, transferred before 2011 season). The roster still had J.T. Floyd, Courtney Avery and Terrence Talbott (left program summer before 2012 season), available. In a pinch, Troy Woolfolk could have converted back when Thomas Gordon won the free safety job. At least one, and probably two true freshmen would have to play.

It immediately became apparent that one would be Countess. So to fill out the two deep they would need to burn Taylor or Hollowell's shirt. Hollowell arrived as the quintessential Cass Tech mite corner. The guy was 164 pounds, but saw some action at dime back vs. Nebraska, and recovered the fumble at the end of the first half. Taylor had two tackles and a personal foul.

Brennen Beyerand Frank Clark. Going into the season Beyer was a SAM and Clark a WDE. The difference between those positions in Michigan's 4-3 under was not very great, particularly because when Beyer was inserted it was for a 5-2 look. The WDE's depth chart was Craig Roh and Jibreel Black; SAM was Jake Ryan and Cam Gordon. The reason I say one would have played anyway is the rush end position has a lot rotation, and Black was already the starter in the nickel formation.

There wasn't much to differentiate the two in aggregate play; Beyer was the more consistent, Clark the more explosive. The coaches chose to have them compete through the year instead of preserving one. Had they done so Beyer was the obvious choice despite Clark's higher ceiling. Beyer was smaller and Michigan had Roh to be a more solid edge defender, but only Clark to be a merchant of chaos (remember the Sugar Bowl interception). On the other hand Frank had a rough history before Glenville, and could have used an adjustment season. Either way he would have been dismissed after last year's incident.

Needed dudes etc.

Blake Countess and Desmond Morgan won starting jobs on the 2011 defensive reclamation project. They also both would lose a season to injury so we have them back yay. Thomas Rawls I'm not broken up about, though he will be a pretty good MAC back this year. RBs usually have most of the "it" they ever will as freshmen, and if they do become long-term starters the toll it takes on their bodies means they're often better off moving through their careers early. A redshirt year can make a guy a better blocker, or put some distance between a good back and his heir, or let a smaller guy fill in. Matt Wile is a special pass even though they wasted his redshirt on kickoff duties (and punting during Hagerup's first suspension). I learned recently that Wile made it clear from the start he intended to graduate in four years and do engineering things.

Hoke said that domestic violence is one of the first things they talk about in team meetings at the beginning of the year and they talk to the team about it at least four times per year

Hoke said after they had received all the necessary information the decision to dismiss Frank Clark from the program essentially made itself

Hoke has not spoken with Clark but does plan to speak with him at some point

Mario Ojemudia will start at WDE with Taco Charlton behind him

Henry Poggi moves to SDE to back up Brennen Beyer

Opening remarks:

"Obviously you all know and we put a statement out, I put a statement out, let's put it that way, we had a situation during the bye week with a young man making a bad decision and after getting all the facts that we could get and I could get I made the decision to dismiss Frank Clark from the program. What was reported and all those things, and I'm sure you've been through it with a fine-tooth comb, was unacceptable and it was not what we want here associated with our program. I know in the statement I talked about it being tragic and domestic abuse is tragic. It's tragic on a national scale. It's tragic. Obviously it's somewhere in our society and we all need to do something about it, and being a husband and being a father [and] having two sisters it's a message that I send strongly to our football team about how we will handle ourselves with women. "That being said we're excited about Saturday. We're excited about playing Maryland, and the biggest excitement is that we've got 12 kids who are going to play their last home football game here at Michigan. We have 12 seniors. Two of them will have graduated. One of them will have his masters. The others will graduate either this fall at the end of fall or at the end of winter and we're very proud of what they've done representing the University of Michigan, and hopefully people will be in the stadium early so they can be honored and then we've got a great football game with Maryland."

Maryland on film, especially defensively: what have you seen from them?"Well, they do a lot and they've got a pretty big package, especially when you get into third downs. They've done a nice job of attacking the quarterback. I think they are one sack above us in the league when you look at it from a defensive standpoint. I think they run very well [and] I think they obviously if you watched Saturday night's game, which I know I did, that game was a heckuva game for a little while and then kind of got out of hand with the interception for a touchdown. But they're very impressive with what they can do. I think they've won three or four games on the road so they've played well on the road also."

In light of how big an issue domestic violence has been mostly in the NFL this year have you spoken to the team before this weekend about that issue specifically?"We speak about it constantly. Believe me, at least four times a year. We have people from the University come in. I've told our guys since day one that it won't be tolerated. It won't be tolerated in this program. All you have to do is think about I have a daughter who's 29. I have a wife. I have two sisters, And so that's always been probably one of the first things I talk about with our team least a couple times a year." You probably just answered that, but did the current climate with how big this issue has been influence how quickly you guys made a decision?"No, it really didn't. The decision was made after getting all the information that we could and that I could, and in doing that there really was no decision to be made. I don't know if that sounded right but…"

[After THE JUMP: More on the Clark situation and young players who impressed in the intrasquad scrimmage]

This used to happen quite a bit, but with the continuing expansion of recruiting coverage and Brady Hoke's chops on the trail not so much lately: there's not all that much out there on Da'Mario Jones. A Central Michigan commitment most of last year, Jones played on a team that only threw rarely…

Jones’ recruiting profile has been kept under the radar by his role in Glenn’s run-heavy offense, in which he’s used as a blocker and ball carrier more than a pass-catcher. He’s currently unranked by Rivals.com, despite good speed and displaying a knack for getting open in summer camp experiences.

…and got most of his reps as a runner. He did not pop up on a lot of radars. I mean:

Jones played wide receiver - where he was targeted on just one downfield pass, a fade route that was thrown well out of bounds - and running back, where he notched 35 yards on 8 carries, including a touchdown.

Compounding matters, when Ace suggested he should go scout the kid I said "naw, man, Treadwell's coming," which we can all laugh about now but remains a bit of a facepalm from yours truly.

He may not be a great speed guy, but is fast enough. Has a good solid frame to work with, needs to add strength, but possesses very good measurables. Shows adequate-to-good speed on tape. Has good height and arm length. Long strider that has good, but not great quickness and is pretty high cut. Has some ability to stop and start, but lacks elite explosion. … Will need to add some more mass to hold up at the next level. Can be inconsistent as a catcher, shows ability to snatch the ball out of the air, away from his body, but also is a body catcher. … high cut build limits fluidity and lateral agility. Good, but not great with the ball in his hands.

Very good athlete who uses his tools to go up and make acrobatic catches. Has good body control, leaping ability, and good hands. He has good ability after the catch and open field skills which he has shown as a return man, running back, and a receiver. He just needs a little polish as a route runner, but he has a lot of the other tools you look for in a receiver. - Allen Trieu

This reads like a repurposed Moe Ways scouting report. Scout was by far the most enthused about Jones, FWIW, as they apparently caught a game of his in which he was actually targeted quite a bit. Jamie Newberg:

He's 6-foot-2, 195-pounds and has speed, elusiveness and great ball skills. The weather and the fact that Glenn jumped out to a huge lead limited his touches, but he scored on his first two touches, a long touchdown run where he lined up at tailback and took a pitch and the second on a 36-yard pass. He later had a jump ball in the end zone where he was ruled out, but outjumped the defender and came down with the ball. He has the physical tools you want, and I like what he can do in the open field in addition to what he does when the ball is in the air.

Touch The Banner sees him working underneath and maybe not being too good at snatching stuff out of the air:

He's capable of getting separation from defensive backs, shows good footwork and route running, and has enough suddenness to set up double moves. He's not a shake-and-bake type, but he does show a knack for making a cut upfield after running laterally. Crossing routes should be an asset where he can catch the ball over the middle, look for a seam, and then gain extra yards. He also doesn't shy away from contact, so he should turn into a plus blocker and gain yards that some receivers won't.

Notice that I said he "could be" an asset in the red zone - Jones isn't the most natural pass catcher, and he needs to work on snatching the ball out of the air. You can see in his film that when the ball is above his shoulders, he struggles to catch the ball cleanly. … Jones also shows good speed, but he won't blow the lid off a defense.

Yes, this is basically the opposite of the previous report. Low sample size. That's two votes for a Breaston-like slasher, so we'll go with that.

Jones has been clocked at a 10.9 in the 100, and ran a 4.47 in the 40 at Michigan State’s camp and a 4.50 at Ohio State’s camp.

…and I lend those a little credence since he ran a 4.61 as a rising sophomore at the National Underclassmen Combine, which was the fourth-best time at a very large event.

How about some intangible bits to make you feel better? Jones did have a number of other schools sniffing around. Early they were mostly middleweights…

The 6-2, 195-pounder out of Westland (Mich.) John Glenn verbally committed to Central Michigan back in July, but is seeing more and more interest from BCS schools on a daily basis. Schools such as Michigan, Iowa, Pitt, TCU, UCLA, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Illinois and Indiana have all reached out, and it may be only a matter of time before some of them extend offers.

…but he got a flurry of interest right before signing day, reportedly landing offers from UCLA, MSU, and Georgia(!) and entertaining interest from FSU(!) and Alabama(?!?). Due to the nature of recruiting these days—"uncommitable" offers and all that—it's impossible to judge just how interested any of these schools were, but Georgia plays things on the up and up. An actual offer from Richt is a positive marker.

"You know, you hear these clichés all the time, but it is the absolute truth that he is an outstanding young man. After every game, he comes up and shakes the coaches hands, he's a great student, teachers like him. He's a great leader in our school. He does everything right."

This is not quite an "I'd let him date my daughter" quote, but I assume that's because his coach only has sons.

"I'm a versatile receiver, and I'm not just the speedster guy," he said. "I like to be physical, I get off the line, I get off the press. I try to run clean, crisp routes, and make sure the defenders can't guard me. Once I run my route, I figure I have good enough speed to catch the ball and take it to the next level."

Why a poor man's Steve Breaston? A wiry guy around 6'1", Breaston was a high school quarterback who went to work but needed time to add weight and learn the position. Once he did that he was an excellent slot option, though he never mastered the ability to make a downfield catch until he hit the NFL.

Jones has a similar high-cut build and long-striding running style, has similar issues with inexperience since his team barely threw, and promises to be a quick-ish slot option. He is not Steve Breaston, though. Breaston was a top 100 player; Jones a generic three-star.

Guru Reliability: Low. There is very little information on him for a lot of reasons.

Variance: High. Bust potential is obvious, but late offers hint at great promise.

Ceiling: Moderate. Sounds like he will top out as a nice #2 or #3 option.

General Excitement Level: Moderate-minus. Has some upside, but has a long way to go and could get lost in the shuffle.

Projection: One of the three receivers this year will play. Who will be determined by fall camp. Jones seems to be the internet's tentative favorite, but the other two guys likely bring more blocking.

Down the road, receiving opportunities open up next year with the departure of Gallon, Dileo, and Jackson. The competition steps up significantly with the addition of Drake Harris and Moe Ways, however, and Jones is going to have to find himself a role as a slot receiver or get sparing snaps since it seems like Michigan hit on both of last year's recruits. Meanwhile, the role of the slot receiver in an Al Borges offense with a fully-stocked hybrid TE mini-fridge is unknown.

Jones looks like he'll have maybe a dozen catches a year unless one of Darboh and or Chesson doesn't work out, in which case he'll have an earlier opportunity to establish himself a starter. Third and fourth receiving options are all over the place—see the last three guys profiled plus Funchess, etc. I expect a long apprenticeship.

It's an annual rite of fan dorkiness each year to try to be the first to guess which numbers the incoming freshmen will be given by obsessively google stalking them. Sometimes I have some inside knowledge from a recruit who was promised his digit, or tweeted his preferences or something. Here's how I did last year:

Name

Pos.

# in HS

2012 Guess

Actual

A.J. Williams

TE

88

88

84

Allen Gant

S

7 and 14

14

12

Amara Darboh

WR

15

15

82

Ben Braden

OL

51

51

71

Blake Bars

OL

67

72

62

Chris Wormley

DE

47

84 or 68

43

Dennis Norfleet

RB/KR

21

21 if available, or 31

26

Devin Funchess

TE

5 and 15

85

19

Drake Johnson

RB

2 and 18

32 or 6 or 23

29

Erik Magnuson

OL

77

78

78

James Ross

LB

6

36

15

Jehu Chesson

WR

5

82

86

Jeremy Clark

S

2

29

34

Kyle Kalis

OL

67

67

67

Mario Ojemudia

DE

53

53

53

Matthew Godin

DT

62

62

99

Ondre Pipkins

NT

71

56

56

Royce Jenkins-Stone

LB

10

10

52

Sione Houma

FB

35

41 or 32

39

Terry Richardson

CB

3 and 6 and 9

9

13

Tom Strobel

DE

36

63 or 93 or 86

50

Willie Henry

DT

74

74 or 68

69

Four out of 22 ain't…well yes it is. It was bad. This article is useless. Let's continue it anyway; I swear to do better.

Getting to know you. Each coach has his own tendencies with this so we'll get better at it in time. With Hoke, he seems to like having consecutive numbers in the same position group, perhaps for mentoring purposes because they sit next to each other in the locker room. It's far from a rule, but it's a trend. Carr rarely let a player share a specialist's digit, but Hoke doesn't seem to have a problem with it, for example Wormley and Hagerup share a number, and walk-on tight end Alex Mitropoulus-Rundus (I'm gonna just start calling him "Alex M-R") has the same digit as backup punter Kenny Allen. Rich Rodriguez was far more apt to share numbers, and the single digits were nearly always doubled up; Hoke has said in the past that he doesn't like doing that, and the practice has been limited—as of spring just 5, 12 and 34 had scholarship recruits in both numbers, adding 54 and 56 to those double-occupied by players on the two-deep.

The roster lies. The official MGoBlue.com roster still doesn't have DeAnthony Hardison, that nifty RB you saw in the Spring Game. He's #18. Also a practice insider told me Anthony Capatina is playing slot receiver, not "DB" as he's listed on the depth chart. Also weirdly missing from that roster is #79 right tackle Dan Gibbs (a Seaholm Mape!!!), a 2012 preferred walk-on whose twitter profile pic is him riding an oliphant:

Legends/Special #s: 1 because Braylon's scholarship killed the fun, unless Gallon gets it. It won't come as much of a surprise to you that 2 will probably be entering the Legends program this season. There will also be some push for 16, and I doubt it'll be assigned to an offensive player immediately. 11 for the Wisterts, 21 for Desmond, and 87 for Ron Kramer are currently open; it is likely they'll be assigned to veterans whose digits might then be made available if it happens before the season. Bennie's 47 and Jerry's 48 remain occupied by current players and there's no way a second guy will get them. And I've been told they're still working on the Harmon family with 98. Anyway they won't go to freshmen.

Walk-ons with soft claims: Every year there's a Jon Keizer on the roster who thinks his number is safe, then some top running back recruit in the country (right: from Scout) runs him over with star power (dadada, didda-da diddadidda…). Scout teamers without scholarships often have their numbers taken, for example Charlie Zeller was 19 on the 2012 spring roster and Paul Gyarmati was sitting on 99, but Devin Funchess and Matt Godin nabbed those digits last fall. This year they are15 (Shaun Austin—note that Ross has it on D), 18 (DeAnthony Hardison—note that Countess has it on D), 27 (Jon Keizer), 36 (AJ Pearson—note that Kerridge has it on O), 42 (Dylan Esterline), 46 (Clark Grace), 49 (Brad Anlauf), 51 (Bobby Henderson), 59 (Mark Lawson), 63 (Ben Pliska), 66 (Dan Liesman), 70 (Kris Mateus), 79 (Dan Gibbs), (91 (Alex M-R, though Kenny Allen wears it too), and 95 (Anthony Capatina and Mike Jocz). The other walk-ons I didn't mention (Dever, Cleary, Glanda, Burzynski, Reynolds, Allen, Gunderson, Jocz and the Glasgows) are either on the two-deep already or in the mix.

You just said Pi. We're Michigan fergodsakes. All the constants—φ, ζ(3), α and δ, Euler's e, γ, λ, K, r, and Ω—ought to be fair game, and if someone takes √-1 and uses the nickname "Impossible" he will be my favorite for ever and ever.

It is Signing Day 2013, and if you weren't aware, Michigan has a pretty, pretty good class. With this post—and its accompanying defense post (coming tomorrow)—I'll attempt to give you a solid overview of the class, its strengths and weaknesses, and hand out a few superlatives. Let's start with a look at the offensive class as a whole and their final rankings from the recruiting services—click on each player's name to see their commitment post:

This offensive line class is arguably the best in the country, finding strength both in numbers (six) and quality (five of the six are consensus four-stars or above and made All-American teams). As Michigan continues to fill in the holes left by some disastrous offensive line recruiting under Rich Rodriguez, this couldn't have come at a better time.

Among the group, guard Kyle Bosch is the most likely to crack the two-deep early; he's on campus early and has college-ready size—Michigan lists him at 6'5", 311 lbs.—to go with a polished set of skills. He won't start right away (let's hope) but could factor in as a backup. Center Patrick Kugler—the son of longtime NFL OL coach and current UTEP head coach Sean Kugler—might be the best of the bunch, though. He'll hit campus as the most physically gifted Wolverine at the position, and while he shouldn't be forced to play right away, he should be a multi-year starter down the road.

Honorable Mention: Running Back, Quarterback.

BIGGEST WEAKNESS: No elite receiver

Yes, this class lacks a blue-chip wideout. Csont'e York and Jaron Dukes are both big targets who can go up and get the ball, while Da'Mario Jones could be a playmaker in the slot, but none are can't-miss prospects. This issue is mitigated somewhat by Michigan's strong recruiting at tight end—get a couple playmakers there and the pressure comes off the receivers in the passing game—but you'd still like to see a top-flight guy on the outside.

Honorable Mention: The only other issue with the offensive side of the class is the lack of a second quarterback for depth purposes, something the coaches decided wasn't necessary. Otherwise, every need was filled.

MOST LIKELY TO START FROM DAY ONE: Derrick Green

Not only is Green the top-ranked recruit in the class, but he comes in at a position of great uncertainty and, as of late, middling production. He's got the body of an NFL running back as a high school senior and is a perfect fit for Al Borges's ideal offense. It's unknown whether Fitz Toussaint will be ready to start the season after his ugly leg injury and his production was lacking in 2012 anyway; Thomas Rawls failed to impress in his stead. Green's toughest competition for the bulk of the carries may even come from fellow 2013 commit DeVeon Smith, arguably the best back in the state of Ohio. Either way, expect a freshman (or two) to make a big impact in the backfield next season.

Honorable Mention: DeVeon Smith, Jake Butt

SUREST THING: Patrick Kugler

Covered in part above, Kugler is as close as you'll get to a can't-miss offensive line recruit. At 6'5", 280 lbs. before setting foot on campus, he's got better size than any Michigan center of recent vintage. His father spent nine years coaching offensive line in the NFL, and Patrick's film makes it apparent that he's absorbed a lot of his father's teaching—from a technical standpoint, he's very advanced for his age. He participated in the Under Armour AA Game and held up very well against some of the best defensive linemen in the country.

Kugler's only competition at center right now is Jack Miller, who's been groomed to take over the position for a couple years but was too undersized to see the field as a redshirt freshman in 2012. Miller should step in and start in 2013—it's unrealistic to expect Kugler to have enough command of the offense to make the O-line calls after a few weeks on campus—but it's going to be hard to keep Kugler off the field in 2014 and beyond.

Honorable Mention: Derrick Green, Kyle Bosch

BOOM OR BUST: Logan Tuley-Tillman

Offensive lineman Logan Tuley-Tillman has the prototypical left tackle frame at 6'7", 307 pounds. He's also a relative newcomer to the game of football and spent his high school days overpowering opponents with sheer size and strength—as a result, he's got a long way to go from a technical standpoint. At last summer's Sound Mind Sound Body camp, Tuley-Tillman and David Dawson both got extensive work in with Michigan OL coach Darrell Funk—Funk used Dawson as an example for how to execute certain technical aspects of line play, then spent a good deal of time trying to get Tuley-Tillman to that level.

If Tuley-Tillman can put it all together, he's the future at left tackle and could even develop into an NFL prospect. With so much ground to cover, however, he could also get buried on the depth chart by more polished players. It should help that Tuley-Tillman is already on campus—with a redshirt year all but guaranteed, he'll have plenty of time to work on the fundamentals before worrying about seeing the field.

Honorable Mention: Shane Morris, Chris Fox

MGOSCOUTED STAMP OF APPROVAL: Jake Butt

Among the players I checked out last fall—on offense: Morris, Shallman, York, Dawson, Butt, and Hill—tight end Jake Butt really stood out with his performance on the field. Playing against cross-town rival Pickerington Central—featuring fellow Wolverine Taco Charlton—he hauled in nine catches for 93 yards and a TD while also making an impact at defensive end. Some of my impressions from that game:

Butt did a great job of snatching the ball away from his body and caught everything thrown his way. While he could be a little sharper out of his breaks, he runs crisp routes and positions his body well to give his quarterback a big target while warding off the defender. He was able to find space up the seam on multiple occasions but was also comfortable working on the perimeter, at one point catching back-to-back out routes when Central cheated to the inside in coverage. He's not going to juke past too many defenders after the catch, but he usually finds a way to fall forward for extra yardage.

At 6'6", 235 lbs., Butt has an ideal frame for the position, and his blocking really impressed me as well. He's another early enrollee, and I'd be surprised if he took a redshirt—he may not start from day one, but he's a better blocker than Devin Funchess and could give Michigan a scary one-two combo at tight end/H-back.

Honorable Mention: David Dawson, Shane Morris

THE SHANE MORRIS CATEGORY: Shane Morris

An overview of Michigan's 2013 class is incomplete without mentioning the team's quarterback of the future. Morris dropped from five-star status on Rivals and 247 after a senior season marred by mono and an uneven performance at the Under Armour AA Game, but he still has the highest ceiling of any of Michigan's commits.

The first thing that stands out about Morris is his arm strength—the ball explodes out of his hand with seemingly little effort. When he's on, it's a sight to behold. The problem—and ultimately why he dropped in the rankings—is that he's yet to show consistency; he still needs work reading defenses and relies too heavily on his arm strength to fit the ball into windows that sometimes aren't there.

Those expecting Morris to come in and take the starting job need to temper their expectations severely—the job is Devin Gardner's, and barring injury it'll stay that way. Morris could very well come in and earn the backup job over Russell Bellomy, however, and with a couple years of development he could be special.

Honorable Mention: Shane Morris

SLEEPER: Da'Mario Jones

Michigan snatched WR Da'Mario Jones, a Westland John Glenn product, away from Central Michigan, so he certainly flew under the radar for the bulk of the recruiting cycle. That may have been the product of playing in a league that doesn't get much exposure, however—Allen Trieu reported($) that UCLA, Alabama, Florida State, Michigan State, and Georgia all came to see him last week, though no offers came when he made it clear he was ticketed for Ann Arbor.

While the other two receivers in the class, Csont'e York and Jaron Dukes, are big guys who were on the receiving end of a lot of jump balls in high school, Jones is a guy who's shown his ability to work underneath and break big plays after the catch. With Drew Dileo and Jeremy Gallon back in 2013, he may not see the field right away, but down the road there's a clear role he can fill in the slot—a position that, granted, may be marginalized by the increased emphasis on tight ends—and nobody else on the roster who fits that mold after next season.